The Marshall Plan

{This is in response to a Pegman prompt for a 150-word piece, based on a caving experience in 3D with Google Earth. Thank you What Pegman Saw for the prompt and Rochelle Wisoff Fields for alerting me to it in her blog! }

The slit in the red cliff had a rock canopy overhead. Exhausted from their hike, the two archaeology students and their partners slunk into the shade, rubbing their stinging eyes.

“Water break!”

Marshall tilted his head back, gulping. His outback hat slipped to his shoulders. The chinstrap lodged at his Adam’s apple. Lying back, he closed his eyes.

At the blinding opening, Nell braced one sandal against the cave wall, and leaned back. A profile of Scrooge jutted from that same wall. But Marshall, peeping through his lashes, preferred Nell’s curvy silhouette.

Krawson, I hope it was an inviting catalog of characters, something like what Elaine on Seinfeld might write. But I did start off with nothing more than four names, etched in the rock, so it was bound to be character-centric. Thanks for the comment!